One of the newly discovered features of iOS 16 is the Lockdown Mode. This feature helps users sway away themselves from cyber attacks but at the cost of disabling sone functions.
The lockdown mode is perhaps a new feature on iOS 16. It keeps the user away from potential cyber attacks at the cost of disarming web browsing.
Potential Disabilities
First and foremost, Lockdown mode disables just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilation. If the JIT is disarmed, web performance drops to a staggering 95%, according to Alexis Lours. This then causes buffering during loading. It might also leave a user with a high battery consumption as well.
The Lockdown Mode also tends to disable the MP3 players on webpages. Apple probably does this to stop attackers or hackers at bay from using MP3 decoding for god knows what purposes.
Another interesting disability was witnessed by Alex Lours. The Gamepad API, that allows users to access gaming controllers, can also not be accessed while the Lockdown Mode is on. Maybe because some shady websites can use controller ID’s to track down certain information about a user. So the Lockdown Mode prevents that from happening.
Quite surprisingly, The Lockdown Mode also decides to disable WebAssembly (WASM). It is a code that runs on modern web browsers which subsequently facilitates high performance on web pages.
The most shocking restriction that was seen by Lours, was the inability to access files stored in web pages. For example, JPEG 2000 images which are of course supported by Safari, can’t be gained access to. The Lockdown Mode also refrains a user from approaching PDF files. This might be because many hackers get into the PDF files easily.
Other Restrictions
In contrast with not being able to access certain aspects of web browsing, the LockdownMode has more to it. Message attachments in Apple’s Messages app are also restricted. Furthermore, you can only receive FaceTime calls from contacts that are saved in your iPhone.
Apple came up with Lockdown Mode only to keep a user safe from certain threats. It is made for people who worry about their data being pounced upon by particular attackers or hackers. The Lockdown Mode will be available as soon as iOS 16 drops by – which is in September.